Janet B. Croft wrote: Google Kim Stanley Robinson’s short story “Melancholy Elephants” for
an eloquent discussion of this problem.

Um... Spider Robinson, not Kim Stanley. (who both have moments of greatness, but in completely different ways...)

Constance

John Rateliff

Yes, as David says, it s a great story. The closing sentence is particularly memorable -- but there s no way to share it with anyone without spoiling the

Message 49 of 49
, May 10, 2011

0 Attachment

Yes, as David says, it's a great story. The closing sentence is particularly memorable -- but there's no way to share it with anyone without spoiling the story. It's not that often I call something a masterpiece, but "The Ugly Chickens" is one.

--John R.

On May 9, 2011, at 8:23 AM, Mem Morman wrote:

I found the Walpole story on the web and read it this morning. It made my day. You go read it too.mem

-- Inmythsoc@yahoogroups.com, David Bratman<dbratman@...>wrote:> His most ingenious story ever was called "The Ugly Chickens". It starts with an ornithologist idly leafing through a book of extinct birds while riding a bus, and the old lady sitting next to him stops him when he gets to the dodo and says, "I haven't seen any of those ugly chickens in a long time." But the dodo has been extinct for centuries; how could she possibly ever have seen any? Well, it turns out that the dodo hadn't gone extinct; it has a hidden history that he spends the story uncovering, and it turns out that ... oh, read it. Great story.

Your message has been successfully submitted and would be delivered to recipients shortly.